Beatitudes

The two Christian character traits taught most frequently in the New Testament are love and humility. The classic passage on love is, of course, 1 Corinthians 13. The classic passage on humility, though it never uses the word, is Matthew 5:2–12, popularly known as the Beatitudes. And just as 1 Corinthians describes love, so the Beatitudes describe humility.
Jesus began His teaching with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). The poor in spirit are those who have become convinced of their spiritual poverty. They see their continued sinfulness even as believers. In contrast to the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed, …
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